My First Week in Sydney

Wow. Where to even begin..?!

My first day was pretty uneventful. I got off the plane and decided I'd make my own way to the hostel. Jumped on the airport line to Wynyard. Using the limited WiFi I could steal from here and there and street maps on the way, I finally found the hostel. Did get severely lost, walk the wrong way up the street for a good 20mins and have an impressive sweat patch from the backpack... but I made it.

Couldn't check in until 2pm, so I dumped the bag and headed out to see what I could find. Darling Harbour is only 5mins walk from the hostel. I spent my morning wandering around and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of Sydney. Well, of the Harbour. I walked as far as I could in each direction and enjoyed a vanilla milkshake by the Maritime Museum. I then popped into the Chinese Garden of Friendship. It was beautiful and so peaceful. I may have had a mini nap sitting near one of the pagoda. I woke myself up with a hot chocolate in the cafe and left feeling a tad refreshed.

Back at the hostel, I was able to check in and head to my room. I was so tired by this point, I just found an empty bed and slept for a few hours. Met two nice guys when I woke up and headed to Subway with them to grab dinner. They seem really sweet and were telling me about what they'd done so far. It was a muggy, grey day. Thought it was always meant to be sunny here?!

I stayed awake as long as I could, blogging and chatting with the guys in my room. I got a bit restless so had another quick walk down to Darling Harbour, it looked so pretty all lit up. I watched the street performers for a while too, until it started to get a bit chilly. Then it was time for bed, ready for my first full day in Sydney.

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Didn't sleep very well at all, was awake at all hours and in the end decided to just wake up and shower. I missed breakfast as managed a little nap after my shower. Didn't leave the hostel until late and boy was it hot!

I jumped on the train and made my way to Circular Quay to get my first look at Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. It was really busy, being a nice day and a Sunday it seemed everyone was out and about. The bridge looked so impressive! I didn't realise just how big it was, in height and length, it towered over the harbour. I walked around towards the bridge, admiring the view. From there I could see the Opera House. That too was amazing just to see in the flesh.

Once I'd walked as far as possible in one direction I doubled back and headed to the Opera House. I wasn't expecting it to be cream?! In all pictures I've seen it always looks so white. Legend has it that it was designed on the concept of orange peel. Genius.

From there I walked through Hyde Park and found myself in Westfield. The shopping centres over here are insane, they are absolutely massive. Miles away from the Grosvenor Centre with all its empty units! I had a late lunch in the food court, fusilli bolognese, and had a look around. Then I realised that the Sydney Tower Eye entrance was in the building!

I bought a ticket and enjoyed the 4D video showing the best sights of Sydney and the history of the tower. Fascinating how it was built! Then it was into the lift and up to the Observation Deck, where you could see for miles. The scary thing is that you can't even see half of Sydney from up there, that's how big the city is!

I did a few laps of the tower, trying to work out where everything was in relation to me. Couldn't see Circular Quay very well, but spotted Darling Harbour easily. Found a useful sign that pointed out London: 16,999km away. Crazy.

I headed back to Darling Harbour and hung around until the sun had gone down. Back to the hostel, there were new people in the room! An earlier night tonight as have Orientation in the morning.

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Just caught breakfast in time this morning. Not much available so I just had toast with peanut butter and a cup of tea. The Orientation was from 10.15 and I arrived just before to absolute chaos! No-one had a clue what they were doing. It was just a lot of blank faces hanging around clutching envelopes and passports to their chests. Eventually word got round that we had to fill a form in and give our passport in to staff.

I found myself next to a girl from Scotland called Emma, we struggled through the form together. For "what job are you interested in" I ticked all the boxes. You can't be fussy out here! Once all the forms were handed in we headed next door and downstairs. Here, sixteen of us crowded around the table and were given a few different talks.

After an hour, the only thing I was sure of was that I wanted to do Surf Camp! Luckily we get an email with all the information we were bombarded with attached. And I now had a SIM card and package sorted. I decided on the one with more international calls - should be useful at Christmas! Next, we were split into two groups, with mine heading to the bank first.

I have never known a more enthusiastic bank clerk person. She was so lovely, she set all eight of us up with three different bank accounts and provided us sweets! What more could we want?! Didn't realise just how long we were held up in there though, it must have taken at least 2hrs. It was raining by the time we were set free. I was really hungry so ran into Woolworths (not that Woolworths) to grab some food.

Hot footed it back to the hostel and waited in reception for Emma. Made it back just in time; a massive storm had struck.. torrential rain, thunder, lightening, the lot! It was insane. After a while I couldn't wait any longer and cooked my noodles downstairs in the kitchen. Just as I was washing up, Emma came down. They had got caught in the storm as were at the bank until 5!

I joined Emma in laughing at a group of guys trying to cook pancakes. They had made the mixture with eggs, mushed banana, cocoa powder and rolled oats. Not my kind of pancake. Amongst the group were Rabinder and Bram from Saturday and a few new guys, Jakob and Falkirk. The pancakes failed so we all decided to go to dinner, I was still hungry from my noodley snack.

At Hotel Sweeny, the others all ordered a rice/noodle dish but I went all out and had a chicken burger. It was pretty good, and apparently the best dish, everyone else was jealous. In any case, the food was better than the "pancakes" back at the hostel! We got back and stayed in reception to chat for a while.

Emma decided that she wanted to go dancing, so we changed into sensible shoes and headed out with Rabinder. We had been aiming for Scruffy Murphy's, an Irish bar, but it seemed pretty dead so ended up at another place. No idea what it's called but it had three monkey statues above the door - 🙈🙉🙊. It was packed but we managed to let our hair down and have a good boogie until 12.30ish. Bed time!

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Everyone was major excited for free pancakes this morning, apparently the guy doing them was a pro. Although we didn't get them until 11.30 (not the promised 11), I have to say they were pretty darn good. I enjoyed mine smothered in nutella. Best breakfast yet I think!

We had signed up for the City Walking Tour, given by Pancake Guy. There was only four of us, which was nice. He took us past Town Hall and St Andrews Cathedral, into Hyde Park. From there we walked to the State Library. It was the biggest library I've ever seen, split across so many different floors. It was the perfect mix between classic and modern. There was even a Shakespeare Room.

Moving on from the library we made our way through the Royal Botanic Gardens. They're gorgeous, the variety of plants and flowers is astounding! Some of them are so rare that people actually steal them, they've had to install CCTV in some areas because of this. I find that so sad. Heading towards the lake I was gobsmacked to find flying fish! They literally flung themselves across the water. It was so funny to watch.. you had  no idea where they'd appear next.

On our way to a viewpoint over the Harbour there was an elderly lady feeding.. parrots. Wild parrots and cockatoos were just chilling in the trees and she had two parrots eating out of her hands. It was quite a sight! On seeing we'd joined her, she gave some spare to Emma, Rabinder and Anna. Me and Pancake Guy watched as the parrots landed on their hands, and heads! It was hilarious.

We headed to the Opera House next and Pancake Guy quizzed us on a few facts. There was a kids show on so it was really busy there. They have so many events on every day, there's always so many people! We walked through The Rocks, the starting blocks of Sydney. Although it had started to rain we were determined to finish the tour. But then there was Domino's Pizza, really cheap Domino's Pizza. We had completed our route, so the guys all ordered $5.95 pizzas and we sat under the cover. I wasn't hungry at the time, maybe I'd have it for dinner.

Back at the hostel we thanked Pancake Guy and all went to dry off a bit. Me and  Emma then went to the travel shop.. to book surf camp! 23rd until 27th December, I will be (hopefully) catching some waves!! We get food and accommodation and a big Christmas party on the beach. Can't wait, it's going to be AWESOME. I also remembered I had travel vouchers so booked a Blue Mountains trip for the Wednesday.

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Had to be up early to get to Sydney Central YHA. I had a feeling I would get lost so gave myself a full 40mins for the "15min walk". I was right to do so. I ended up down so many different side streets I had to get the Google maps on to find the way! Made it in the end, just before 7.30. There were so many different tour groups leaving at the same time... wandered along and found mine.

We had two guides, the driver was called Alan and the other guy was Tristan. They were the first real Aussies I'd met, their accents were so strong. There were thirteen in our group, all from different hostels/hotels. Once we'd signed paperwork, we were off. Over the Harbour Bridge and on towards the mountains.

Our first stop was Featherdale Wildlife Park. Here I got to see my first lot of native wildlife. As I entered the park, there were wallabys and joeys jumping around. They were so cute, especially the tiny joeys, hiding in pouches or clinging to mum. Round the corner from these guys were so many adorable koalas. They had a least 10 different enclosures; some with one koala, some with a whole family. They were so content, just sitting and eating.

Best thing yet, as I moved around the sanctuary I came to a section offering a free Koala Experience. I got to have my picture taken with a koala while he happily munched on some eucalyptus. He was so much softer than I was expecting, like a teddy bear!

During the rest of my time in the park I took a selfie with a kangaroo, kept my distance from the reptile house and tried to coax out a Tasmanian devil. I also saw a salt water crocodile, a wombat and penguins. I stamped all of my "wildlife passport" and met the others back on our bus.

We had a long drive on to the Blue Mountains from there, so I may have enjoyed a nap. We had an hour to enjoy lunch at Echo Point and take in the surroundings. The view was incredible! I could see the Three Sisters and far into the distance. There were trees as far as the eye could see, it really was a Broccoli Forest. I decided to walk down towards the Three Sisters and Giants Staircase. Didn't have time to walk any further but the view only improved. I bloody love nature!

We were driven around the corner to Scenic World. Here we were given the option of taking a trek or visiting the "rides". We all remember my last trekking experience.. Me and two other ladies, Sarah and Glynis, opted for the rides. Although I did have to pay extra, I knew I would enjoy it far more. Plus, I got to have a lovely afternoon with two lovely new friends.

We did all the rides.. The Railway, The Walkway, The Cableway and the Skyway. They were all so cool and gave a different view of the National Park. At 52°, the Scenic Railway is the steepest in the world! It certainly did seem very vertical, although it was over far too quick. I enjoyed the Scenic Cableway too, the guide on there was really informative. The water from the Blue Mountains is used all over NSW, and there is always a fresh supply!

My favourite ride was the Scenic Skyway, it was awesome. It took us right across the valley, at a height of 270m! I loved being able to see so much, especially the Katoomba Falls. They looked amazing from our viewpoint, and you can only imagine how impressive they would be from the bottom. We walked back from here, me and Glynis somehow losing Sarah on the way.

With everyone safe and sound on the bus we made the long journey back to CBD and I thanked the guys before heading home. Caught up with the gang and found out there was free "sausage sizzle" that night in the hostel. Sweet! Slight confusion over location and time, but myself, Emma, Rabinder and Bram made it there in the end. There was free "goon" too, which is basically cheap boxed wine. Safe to say I passed on that!

Met loads of new people, all really nice and we chatted about failed job searches and sunburn. We also all signed up for the competitions - obviously - $50 dollar food voucher or free surf camp?! Yes please! Didn't win. Maya, Bram and Emma somehow won MojoSurf hats from doing "the worm" though. Even when I showed them how it was really done I didn't win peanuts.

After a flipcup competition, we got a bit bored and someone suggested Kings Cup (Ring of Fire) so we camped up in 104. There was our new Swedish friends, Elsa and Elin, German friends, Pia and Maya, and then us four. It was hilarious. Especially as I was just drinking water. Some of the rules that were made had us in stitches.. We were moving imaginary drink leprechauns here there and everywhere. The guys convinced me to go out out with them. So off came the flip flops and on came the converse.

Oh my god did we have a good night. Ended up at Scruffy Murphy's.. where it was only karaoke!! I was beyond excited. We signed up and sang and danced to pretty much every song attempted. Some of the performers were pretty good.. Some not so much. There were two Asian guys that had a few songs and all they seemed to do was shout and sing out of time? Obviously we were much better! The guys sang Buffallo Soldier.. and we followed with Shake it Off.

I like to think we all did pretty well.

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Managed a lay in today after our crazy night out. Had a really lazy morning, just stayed in bed and applied for jobs through Gumtree. Pretty disappointed in the Jobsearch website, there's really not much to offer. Fingers crossed I find something.

Signed up to go to Bronte and Bondi today with the hostel. Leaving at 11am, we got a free party bus with goon (little early in my opinion) and some banging tunes. I was buzzing to see the sea and my first Aussie beach! Bronte was beautiful, the sea was so blue and the sand so soft between the toes. There was even a park like area with bbq hook ups and picnic tables. This is the dream!

With two new people in our posse, Sarah and Renske from 104, we were all itching to get out there. It was hot and we were sensible, by the time we had suncreamed up we only had about 10mins to paddle. It was way colder than I was expecting, a nice change from the heat of the day.  The guys ran in and literally threw themselves into the waves!

The BBQ was pretty good, we had burgers and sauce and plastic cheese, all inbetween slices of bread. Let me tell you, this is the way to eat a burger. It tasted so good, I had two! I was pretty happy just to sit on the grass with my food, with a view of the beach. However it was time to move on. I had to pop to the ladies on the way, luckily Elin joined me.. when we emerged everyone had disappeared!

Thank god Elin had her phone on her (mine was in Sarah's bag) so she could ring Elsa. Turns out the whole Base crew had started walking along the Coastal Walk to Bondi. So nice of them to wait for us.

We had such fun walking along together, the views were amazing and it was beautiful weather. We got to the next beach, Tamarama, quite quickly and made our way across the sand looking for the group. A quick call to Elsa informed us that they had not stopped but carried on straight to Bondi. And so we continued, and finally made it to Bondi Beach.

It was massive, even bigger than I expected! It was so crowded, we had no idea how we'd find Base. We just headed straight for the middle, finding them eventually. They had only been settled about 10mins and we wasted no time in finding a spot on the sand. It was so nice, the view was great! So many people surfing and paddling in the waves.

Emma and Sarah thought it would be hilarious to get a photo with a lifeguard, I joined them in looking for one. I wouldn't want to drown here, there were none in sight! Instead we just paddled and relaxed on the sand. Bliss. The bus was leaving at 3 and so we started to pack up after about an hour. Probably for the best, that way we couldn't burn!

Back at Base, we decided we would cook tonight so we headed for a family shopping trip while Emma looked at an apartment. Bram had some spare pasta and sauce, so we just bought mince, peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn and cheese. And so a mean spag bol was born. We may have cooked too much pasta, even once we'd split the leftovers there was still some left!

I'd been applying to jobs on and off all day on Gumtree, and got an email offering me an interview! Not long after we'd washed up and caught up with the other guys, I popped upstairs to do some research and get an early night.

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Showered and with my "interview clothes" on, I was one of the first to breakfast this morning. Toast and juice again, and I was ready to face the day. I didn't have to be in Surry Hills until 11, so I headed to the library. Decided to print off CVs just in case today didn't go well.

The library had a weird system involving Internet Passes and Copy Cards. Once I'd worked it out I found myself a free computer and tried to make the most of my 30mins free internet. I had edited, charged my Copy Card with spare change (so loud in a quiet library!) and printed with 9mins to spare. Result!

It was then time to head to my Group Interview. I was so early I walked around the block a few times so I didn't look too keen. There was a good few of us, three from England, three Germans, a Chilean guy and some Sydney siders. We basically met the team, watched a video and learnt the aims of the company. The Reindeer People, set up across Australia for the festive season, sell antlers and badges to support charity. This year the charity was Kids Hope. It sounded fun, and you got to look silly doing it! We have all been given a Trial Shift, mine being Saturday.

I still met Emma to hand out CVs, she'd been lost in the underground maze of shopping centres and so I met her outside Pitt Street. It's so busy already with shoppers and there's a good while until Christmas.. I can only imagine how packed it will be. We stopped off in a few shops, but decided we'd picked the wrong sort of centre. These shops were all high end, posh shops.. no normal shops in sight.

A lovely lady in Body Shop had told Emma that Bondi Junction was more chilled and always looking for temps over Christmas. And so we jumped on the train and carted our CVs to the three shopping centres in Bondi. We got a bit lost to start with, and it was so warm we were both struggling. About 6ish we called it a day and rode back to Central. Walking back to the hostel, I left Emma at Subway to buy some extras for my pasta dish.

After some turkey spaghetti and a few Tim Tams (which are definitely as good as the Aussies claim) I wanted to go for a walk to Darling Harbour. The guys weren't sure whether they were going out out or not so I left them to dither. Found a really nice place to sit and watch the sunset. I think there were a few Christmas Parties on and I enjoyed watching the people swagger/totter along in their gladrags.

Soon it was time to wander back home to bed. Tomorrow was a new day, and a new week in Sydney... And I had a job to trial!